Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Elsis a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his 71 career victories are four major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionAthlete
almost beat couple definitely few gets golfing gone last level played quite seems swing tired tough
I've played with him quite a few times the last couple of years. It seems like he's gone up a level this year. It seems like he's really comfortable with his swing and his game. It seems like he's there every week. He's almost a golfing machine, so to speak. He never gets tired of the game. I think he's definitely going to be very tough to beat this weekend.
adam bit confidence given huge last played win wish
It would be a huge confidence booster to win here. I wish I'd played like this last week. I would have given (Beijing winner) Adam Scott a bit of a go.
greens last perhaps small year
Perhaps I know the greens a little better than Vijay because of last year and I know where they will break. I would like to think I have perhaps a very small advantage.
fast last played six
We haven't really played Augusta the last five, six years in very firm, fast conditions.
behind conditions full generally last major month notch open rattled took
He's a full notch behind Vijay. He's not even on the same rung. There's no major that rattles you like the U.S. Open. Last year's Open probably took a month to get over that. It's not like the Masters, where the conditions are generally the same. At the Open, they're probably already rattled going in.
ball bit flatter game hard hitting last plane steep trying worked
I worked really hard on my long game the last two week, especially last week. I'm working on a bit of a flatter plane through the ball. I got a little bit steep on the ball so I'm trying to flatten it out a little bit through the hitting area.
certain couple forward gone last next positions sustained
I've got myself in certain positions already, the last couple of weeks, the last month. But I just, for some reason, haven't sustained it or haven't gone forward on to the next little stage.
adjust early fooled half last playing putt rolls second slope uphill
Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.
break couple days field four guys last might narrow within
Over four days of competition, it's going to narrow the field dramatically. You might see more tournaments like we had last year, where a couple of guys break away and it's kind of two tournaments within a tournament.
best break five golf last playing six time weeks
Before the injury, I had been playing professional golf for the best part of 16 years without any really long breaks. The last time I had a long break was in 2001 when I was out for five or six weeks with a back injury.
athletic club good posture
When I stay athletic with good posture and get the club away in a good position, I get through it better.
coming penalty rough
The rough is pretty thick. It's a half-shot penalty coming out of there.
america asia game helped playing won
I've won tournaments in Europe, Asia and America and I think playing around the world has really helped me game playing in different conditions, not just one-dimensional golf.
ball fine overly tried
I've tried to play the way you play in Opens, which is to get the ball in play, not be too overly aggressive, and play away from the flags. But there's a fine line. You need to be careful, but you can't play defensive.